Jul
16
SCAG Vision for Katella & Los Al Blvds on Monday Council Agenda
Filed Under 2010 Issues, City Council Meetings, Development, Planning & Zoning
(7/16/2010, Los Alamitos) The agenda is out for this Monday’s City Council Meeting, with several items of interest.
Most significant for the city’s future isthe report from the Southern California Association of Governments “Compass Blueprint” study of Los Alamitos main corridors, Katella and Los Alamitos Blvds, as a “Compass Demonstration Project Area.”
There’s lots to digest, but I’d suggest those interested in our community’s fugure start with the Community Development Director Steven Mendoza’s Staff Report on the SCAG study.
A power point presentation on the study also worth a look, although if your eyes are as bad as mine you’ll probably have to zoom your Adobe reader up to 200% to be able to clearly read the charts, which are printed 4 to a page.
I haven’t had time to fully digest the two documents yet, but there were several excellent ideas as well as several things that concerned me on first glance.
Please click on the links, review the documents, and share your initial thoughts and perspective.
Our city’s future is at stake.
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8 Responses to “SCAG Vision for Katella & Los Al Blvds on Monday Council Agenda”
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Strategy #2 I would be opposed to “Districts” why? because our city has 12,000 residents. We are also small in area, we are not represented by city council districts. What would be next, residential districts?
Districts worked in the beginning in Long Beach, then deteriorated with time after the business owners began arguing with themselves. Districts are committees, where items go to die.
We have guidelines and codes for business, maybe those need to be more defined as far as style and colors, etc.
Business already does not want to locate here due to high permit/sign fees and perceived unfriendly attitude at city hall. The cost of the districts by the business owner would scare them away.
The main business owners have been approached in the past to make improvements, it has not happened, or was minimal at best.
Next Steps: #4. Establish a Town Center Committee. You’re kidding, right?
You have taken a survey, go with it. I repeat, committee’s are where items go to die or are poorly executed.
Example: Even with all the hard work and enthusiasm of the 50th parade committee was the result what was expected? Depends on who you talk with. Yes, there was a parade with many participants, but who watched it. The people in the parade watched it later on LATV. Was it worth all the taxpayers money in staff time to have it??
Saving St Isadore Plaza. There is another hard working committee, they planned the Cinco de Mayo two day festival. Once again they gave a party and not too many people came. Not enough to make any money. All the entertainment had to be paid for so guess what? no profit!
I could go on, but this is already to long. Just ask yourself, what is the common denominator in the two examples above.
If our city council is considering forming a Town Center committee I suggest it consist of only planning professionals. Public would be allowed to comment.
what absolute and total BS.
I am about as disappointed as I could be.
When we talk about Los Alamitos and opportunity it always comes down to land use. The single largest parcel on Katella is currently zoned for light industrial (excluding the parcel that LAMC has put together over the last few years).
I want you to imagine, if you can, that the Target center or the Rossmoor center at the border of Los Al / Seal Beach was industrial. Or where Cottonwood just went in was zoned Industrial. Or where Costco went in was zoned Industrial. Or the corners of Knott and Katella were zoned Industrial.
Right, it’s an insane zoning decision. It’s a holdover from a past that didn’t do a bit of city planning.
Unlike the opposition has always stated, I don’t want Arrowhead to move out. I don’t want to have a redevelopment agency take over the property. I just want it rezoned under the current usage. Arrowhead can stay there as Industrial for as long as they want.
BUT, when that property changes hands I want to see it become a retail development.
Let’s not allow poor planning for the future reduce our options for a vibrant retail economic center that can bring in increased tax revenues and enhance our city as a place to STOP and SPEND.
JM–Can you specify what in the report you’re referring to? Thanks
Both.
When I brought the Arrowhead land use issue before the Planning Commission, their response was SCAG. There seemed to be some hope that this report would lead to an overlay, or long term suggested blueprint for the city.
Now, let’s be clear. We will never turn Los Alamitos into Second Street, or even a Pine Ave like our neighbors in Long Beach. We have no natural end-point like a pier on which to build a foundation of a Main Street like our neighbors in Seal or Huntington Beach.
What we do have are two of the most heavily traveled streets in OC running through our city. We have one of the most heavily traveled intersections in the county in our city, and another less than a mile away from our borders that dumps three left turns onto the street leading into our city.
If we can get one in 50 cars that pass through our city to just stop, we would have one of the most vibrant and fastest growing (financially) cities in the county.
But what is there to stop for? A 7-11 tucked away in a strip mall with far too little parking? A medical center that generates no revenue? Doctors offices without retail nearby?
And what do we get? A report that talks about adding bicycle lanes (a good thing, but not a revenue generator), bridges over a few spots and nicer gateways so people may just remember the name of the city that they pass through.
Anyone who looks at the zoning map of this city can see that this city was built without forethought or planning about a future. We just sort of “let it happen” and planned the zones around what was already kind-of-there.
As our neighbors to the south showed with their mall development, there are ways to get traffic to leave the streets and stop in, generating revenue for the city. As our neighbors to the north showed, you can develop land that will pull traffic in off a main street and generate money for the city. The question is, where do you find the land to do such a development?
Now look at google earth of our city. Look at the main streets that pass through our city. Look at available land. Then look at the zoning for that land. Finally, after doing all that, explain to me how not changing the Industrial zone of Arrowheads property to Retail is a good thing. Explain to me how leaving that massive property zoned Industrial benefits the city, the residents and the businesses.
What I wanted from SCAG was a vision and a suggestion of paths forward to get there. What we got was that same old “create a downtown that people can walk about in, and they will come.” Second Street doesn’t have a common look or theme. No pedestrian bridges. No bike lanes. None of the things that SCAG seems to feel Los Al needs to magically create a downtown.
What we needed was a plan that looked at a way to turn those passing through our town to want to stop. A way to siphon off some of that traffic into revenue. What we got was more nonsense on how to create a homey little community that can’t support itself.
Well said!!!
I am sorry that I wasn’t able to participate sooner because I was on an extended vacation. Yes, we need to change the zoning on those parcels of land that do not bring revenue into the city. As we discussed earlier, a prime location for rezoning is the mobile home park on Oak street. These are a bunch of old fuddy duddies that contribute nothing to the city. Lets rezone the Mobile Home Park to retail which will encourage the owner to sell the property to a revenue producer like Trader Joe’s. We need to support our own candidates to the city council so that this goal can be achieved. Running a slate of candidates is the best way to accomplish this.
“Planner,”
Part of the problem with what you suggested is that the location is far off any other “retail” and on a side street (not Katella, Los Al or even Cerritos).
The second part has to do with part of the requirements for housing meeting low income needs in a city. We have an affluent community and as I understand we barely meet the affordable housing requirements. Part of meeting those requirements is obviously Apartment Row, Some is the rental housing in Old Town, and some is that same mobile home park. My understanding is that there would be legal ramifications for rezoning affordable housing out of existence.
Final note, those “old fuddy duddies” you speak of are residents just like you and I, and I would hope that they take the same pride of living in Los Alamitos as you and I do. Some may be giving of their time by working at our Rec department, others may be helping out just across the street from it at the Legion. I tend to not want to discount those who are not like me in age, appearance, economic status or background for I have found that everyone has something to give and I can learn something from everyone if I only take the time and effort to do so.
Planner,
Welcome back–I (for one) missed you! Hope your vacation went well.
I admire your zeal almost as much as your ironic humor! As my birthday approaches (another “biggie”), I’d also like to thank you for not lumping me in with the “old fuddy duddies,” and ask you to please hold that thought!
Seriously, although the current zoning is a mish mash, much of which was inherited from our days prior to incorporation, I don’t know of anyone who’s advocating rezoning residential to commercial. Certainly not Royal Oak, which is one of the most well maintained mobile home parks I know of. Although it’s been a couple years since I last visited there, I can’t remember even one unit that didn’t reflect pride of ownership.
The real issue that troubles me is the Council’s inaction a year and a half ago when the Planning Commission proposed a commercial overlay, and when the Commission President proposed a temporary moratorium in advance of the LAMC filing for their 25 year plan. I’m not opposed to reasonable expansion of the Medical Center, but, as someone who’s negotiated for a living for over 30 years, I thought the Council majority squandered the rights of our city to control our own future by not putting that temporary moratorium in place back before the hospital’s filing was complete.
And it boggles my mind that after almost a year and a half they still have not acted on the Planning Commission’s request for a commercial overlay, especially since Troy said he was tabling it to wait until the Compass Study was completed.
BTW, Planner (& several others–you know who you are), I think it would be helpful and lend some coherence if you’d use the same “handle” or nickname most of the time you post. Just a suggestion.